New Premiums From Bacardi, Emperor, Diplmatico

By Neat Pour Staff
| Published April 16, 2018

The secret is out. Rum can also compete in the premium markets. As sippers move out of whiskey into other spirits, rum distillers are unleashing high end expressions on the market. Recently, we’ve seen Diplomatico, Emperor, and mass market giant,Bacardi get in on the game.

Diplomatic Affairs

Venezuelan distiller, Diplomatico added another super premium rum to their range. Diplomatico Single Vintage from the year 2004 is now available. The high end expression is first distilled in vintage copper pot still, aged for 12 years in Bourbon and Malt Whiskey casks, and then finally, finished in Spanish Sherry casks for an additional year.

Diplomatico’s roneros offered some notes on the finished spirit as “Rich, well-balanced and incredibly flavoursome. Toasted and spicy notes. Slightly dry, concludes with a pleasant and long lasting finish.”

Production will total out to less than 4000 cases distributed globally. The MSRP per bottle is $120.

Bacardi Goes Big

The luxury market is exploding and pillars of the existing market are trying to play catch up. Bacardi already is dominant in the mass market; now, they are rolling out some bottles to compete in the premium arena. Meet Añejo Cuatro and Bacardi Gran Reserva Diez.

Unveiled about a month ago, the two new expressions are slowly filtering into the market this spring. “For the past 15 or 20 years, consumers have been looking for more and more premium spirits, but rum remains the sole category that has not gone through a significant period of premiumization,” Ned Duggan, vice president at Bacardi told CampaignLive

The Cuatro is barrel-aged, in the Caribbean (not Mexico!), for at least four years. The official notes describe “flavors of mild vanilla, toasted oak, clove and honey.”

The Gran Reserva Diez is designed as an intro to sipping rums. It boasts ten years aging in Bourbon style, charred white oak barrels.MSRP is $39.99

The premium push also includesthe release of Reserva Ocho and the ultra-lux Gran Reserva Limitada.

The Emperor’s New Rums

The Lookout Group is building out their Emperor rum line with the addition of two new expressions. During Rhum Fest in Paris, the company unveiled Lily White, an aged white rum, and Private Collection, a ultra-premium, “limited-edition” bottle.

Emperor Lily White is a blend of charcoal filtered rums aged up to 12 years. The clocks in at 42% ABV. “The result is simply magnificent on the nose and in the mouth, with the same elegance of great agricultural or traditional white rum,” according to the distiller’s website.

On the premium end, Emperor also added their Private Collection. The first iteration is a limited run of 15,000 bottles. The initial maturation involves two to five years in French and American oak barrels. Then, the product is finished in Château Pape Clément oak casks. The official notes describe, “Spicy notes on first taste, deep and smooth with a velvety sweetness. Rich oak notes and berry sweetness.”